KTM experiments with electric dirt bike

Indoor electric trials bikes have been around for quite some time, but the rigors of off-road riding and the substantial weight of batteries has pretty much kept the electric motor out of dirt bikes, save for a few specialized startup manufacturers.

According to autobloggreen.com, it appears that KTM appears to be on the verge of launching an electric dirt bike with 29.5-lbs.ft. of torque and enough storage in its lithium ion battery to power it under full race conditions for 40 minutes.

KTM says it may be ready to launch a production-ready version in as little as 24 months. A bike like this would kill a lot of birds with one electrified stone: Noise issues preventing dirt bikes from being used in certain states would be eliminated and pollution concerns would be ameliorated. Charging could come from any household outlet, or a generator in the field. The Austrian Ministry of Transport has helped fund the development of the new machine.

Keep a close eye on this. It may well be the future of off-road motorcycling.

(This post originally appeared in the December 18, 2008, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)